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Vampire, Lesser
Lesser vampires are the weakest of all vampires, as one might expect, but still a considerable threat to normal humanoids and comparable to a powerful predatory animal. As with other vampires, their natural appearance is deathly pale and gaunt, similar to that of a starved corpse, but with piercing black eyes and beastly, inch-long fangs and claws. Unlike those other vampires, however, these lesser ones have neither the intellect nor the ability to disguise themselves. Some are slaves to stronger vampires, obeying them unconditionally and usually hiding in either the vampire's lair or the surrounding countryside. So-called feral vampires, those without masters, typically roam in the wilderness at night, but many are drawn to villages or occasionally even larger cities. When hunting, they prefer to track lonely prey and catch them unawares. Though their mindset is animalistic, they are capable of choosing an optimal moment to strike, but typically won't stalk a single target for more than an hour. A lesser vampire can feed on any blood available, but seems to prefer that of humanoids. They may also stealthily assault sleeping people when possible. Starving vampires, however, are much more aggressive. A lesser vampire fights like some great cat, pouncing on its foe and going straight for the throat. If it cannot maintain a hold, it will either simply kill the victim and feed on the corpse or go look for easier prey. If the feeding isn't interrupted, a lesser vampire's target is typically dead for sure; they have no reason not to take as much blood as possible. Sample Lesser Vampire This example uses 2nd-level human commoner, a generic peasant, as the base creature. Lesser Vampire, 2nd-Level Human Commoner Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid) Hit Dice: 3d12 (25 hp) Initiative: '+5 '''Speed: '''50 ft. '''Armor Class: '''16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14 '''Base Attack/Grapple: '+2/+6 '''Attack: '''Claw +4 melee (1d6+2) '''Full Attack: '''2 claws +4 melee (1d6+2) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2) '''Space/Reach: '''5 ft./5 ft. '''Special Attacks: '''Blood drain, create spawn, improved grab, pounce '''Special Qualities: '''DR 3/silver, fast healing 5, perfect darkvision, resistance to cold and electricity 5, scent, spider climb, undead traits, vampire weaknesses, weakness to fire '''Saves: '''Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4 '''Abilities: '''Str 15, Dex 15, Con -, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 12 '''Skills: '''Climb +8*, Hide +6, Jump +6, Move Silently +10, Spot +5, Survival +2** 'Feats: '''Improved Grapple (B), Multiattack (B), Run, Track (B) '''Environment: '''Any '''Organization: '''Solitary '''Challenge Rating: '''3 '''Treasure: '''None '''Alignment: '''Always neutral '''Advancement: '- *From spider climb **+4 bonus while tracking Creating a Lesser Vampire '''Size and Type: '''The creature’s type changes to undead (augmented humanoid or monstrous humanoid). Size is unchanged. '''Hit Dice: '''Remove all Hit Dice gained from class levels. Add 2 racial Hit Dice. All Hit Dice become d12s. Recalculate saves, skill points and feats as described below. '''Speed: '''Base land speed is increased by 20 ft. '''Armor Class: '''Natural armor bonus is increased by +4. Not intelligent enough to voluntarily wear clothing, but won't (entirely) rip off anything it was already wearing when spawned. Any armor is still likely to be in bad condition, so its armor bonus may be reduced by 1 or more. '''Attacks: Retains all the natural attacks of the base creature. Also gains a bite attack and two claw attacks if it didn't already have them. If it did, use the better ones. Unable to wield weapons. Base attack bonus equal to 3/4 total hit dice (as cleric). Damage: As appropriate for a size one step larger than their own. For a medium creature, bite attacks deal 1d8 and claw attacks 1d6 damage. Special Attacks: 'Retains all the special attacks of the base creature that it is intelligent enough to use and gains those described below. ''Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from either a living creature by making a successful grapple check or from a fresh corpse (less than 15 minutes old). If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing damage equal to that of its bite and 2 Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained. It also heals itself by 3 HP per round, or gains an equal amount of temporary HP if already at full health. These temporary HP stack up to a maximum of 30 and fade at a rate of one per 6 hours. When a vampire has no temporary HP from this ability, it takes 2 damage per hour until it only has 5 HP remaining. This damage cannot be healed except by draining more blood. A vampire can feed on a corpse for a number of rounds equal to the target's Constitution score in life divided by 2. Create Spawn: ''When a living creature is killed by the Blood Drain ability or is subject to it shortly after dying, it appears dead in every way but rises as a lesser vampire after about 24 hours unless it is burned or has its head cut off. The spawn created by a lesser vampire can't be controlled by either it or its master. ''Improved Grab: ''After a successful bite attack, may initiate a grapple as a free action. ''Pounce: ''May full attack after a charge. '''Special Qualities: '''Retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below. ''Damage Reduction: ''DR 3/silver. ''Perfect Darkvision: ''Sees as well in low-light or pitch-black conditions as most creatures do in normal daylight. ''Fast Healing (Su): ''Heals 5 HP per turn as long its heart hasn't been staked. An un-staked vampire falls unconscious at 0 HP, but can have as many as -50 HP, beyond which it takes no further damage. If a vampire loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 3d6 minutes. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump. If the head is lost, the vampire falls unconscious until it is reattached or regrown. ''Spider Climb: ''Can climb sheer surfaces as if permanently under the effects of a ''spider climb spell. Scent: ''Has the scent ability and is able to track creatures by their smell. A vampire can also detect fresh blood at a range of up to half a mile. ''Resistances: ''Resistance to cold 5 and electricity 5. Weakness to fire. +2 turn resistance. '''Saves: '''Good Reflex and Will saves, poor Fortitude save. '''Abilities: '+4 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Wis, +2 Cha. No Constitution score. Intelligence reduced to 2. '''Skills: '''4 skill points per Hit Die. Class skills are Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot and Survival. +4 racial bonus on Hide, Jump, Move Silently and Spot checks, as well as Survival checks to track. '''Feats: Improved Grapple, Multiattack and Track as bonus feats. Otherwise gained as normal through Hit Dice. Weaknesses A lesser vampire's most notable weakness is to sunlight. When in direct sunlight, it is dazzled and has no fast healing. Also, when looking in the direction (within 90 degrees) of the sun or a light-creating spell (Daylight or stronger), it is blinded. Being in either sort of light also causes notable physical discomfort, which typically makes the creature's animalistic mind seek to leave it quite quickly. In addition to this, any holy symbol strongly presented by an individual makes the vampire recoil away. As long as the creature brandishing the symbol makes a standard action each turn to do so, the vampire may not approach within 5 feet. After a standard action is taken to recoil the vampire, it cannot touch or attack the holder for one minute if the symbol is visible and in their possession. Otherwise prominent holy symbols and sites make a vampire uncomfortable, but don't actually hinder its movement. A lesser vampire can only be truly slain by by staking it. When it is unconscious, a wooden stake can be driven through its heart as a full-round action. While the stake remains in place, the vampire's fast healing is disabled. It is permanently destroyed after one minute. Category:Homebrew Category:Olennot Category:Content Category:English